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(rshsdepot) Station - Bonsal, North Carolina

Many years ago, from 1906 to about 1950(?) to be specific, a station building existed along the mainline of the Seaboard Air Line Railroad at a place called Bonsal, North Carolina, not far from Raleigh.  The Bonsal community still exists, but sadly, the station does not.  Bonsal is also home to our museum, and the terminus of the New Hope Valley Railway we operate as part of the museum activities.  That being said, it is natural for us to be curious about the station once having existed here, yet try as we might, we have never been able to locate a photo of the building.

We have a rough diagram of the building footprint and an inventory of its contents from a valuation study done by the Interstate Commerce Commission in 1917, but few details of what the structure itself was like.  The building was originally built and operated on a shared basis by both the Seaboard and the Durham & South Carolina Railroad (D&SC).  The D&SC crossed the Seaboard at grade on a series of track diamonds at Bonsal, and was later absorbed into the original Norfolk Southern Railroad.

We have a 1921 Official Guide showing six (6) trains a day as scheduled to stop there, four on the Seaboard and one each way on the Norfolk Southern.  The station was therefore a reasonably active place, and likely to have been photographed by someone.

Can any of you help?  If any group of people can come up with a photo of the Seaboard depot at Bonsal, NC it is this organization.  If you have one in your collection, or know someone with one, please contact me as soon as possible.  Any help you can give will be sincerely appreciated.

                Best Regards,
                       Bob

                R.T.Crowley - Curator of History, NC Railroad Museum

                                      East Carolina Chapter, NRHS   
                New Hope Valley Railway          North Carolina Railroad Museum
                5121 Daisey Street                   Post Office Box 40
                Bonsal, NC  27562-9009            New Hill, NC  27562

                Tel:     +1-919-362-5416 - Railroad Office
                Web:  www.nhvry.org

                --  KBO  --

Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well-preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming, "WOW!! What a ride!" - Unknown
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The Railroad Station Historical Society maintains a database of existing
railroad structures at: http://www.rrshs.org

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End of RSHSDepot Digest V1 #1166
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The Railroad Station Historical Society maintains a database of existing
railroad structures at: http://www.rrshs.org